If Gareth Southgate is the answer I don’t want to know what the question is. Waistcoat model? Babysitter? TV pundit? It certainly isn’t who should be England manager for their next game.
The media makes or breaks so many in the public eye. The views of a few journalists or media personalities hold great sway. We are being told that Gareth has done an incredible job in recent years. I beg to differ and have done for many years. This isnt a just pile on Southgate now thing. They trot out the stats about him being the most successful England manager of all time. All without any meaningful context. The masses lap it up. They tell you he is doing a good job so he must be.
I have talked about it in earlier tweets and I talked about it after the Euros. People are so bad at separating results (outcomes) and the processes to reach those outcomes. The results in big tournaments masked a lot of issues. Troubling issues that showed up once again. England were advancing further in tournaments than their approach and management merited. They had ludicrously friendly draws/fixtures. Each time something challenging occurred they lost and crashed out. Southgate butchered the Italy game so badly it is untrue.
The difference this time round was that England came into the tournament on the back of some horrendous results. Losing 4-0 at home to Hungary a particular highlight. Had there not been a winter World Cup Southgate would have been under crazy pressure. It was too late to change. Pre tournament you had the usual Southgate nonsense. Picking Maddison only because he didn’t want his squad selections questioned. Something that could be used later on against him. It felt like TAA/Grealish from previous tournaments. He bowed to peer pressure. It was so weak.
Let’s look at the tournament this time round. Battered Iran. Awful against USA. Ok against Wales. Ok against Senegal. Played pretty well against France. There were huge chunks of mediocrity in there. USA were the better team. Very average against Wales in the 1st half. Two keeper howlers and a defensive howler made it look so much better than it was. First 40 minutes against Senegal were dreadful and could have easily conceded first. England scored twice in quick succession and the game was over. Unimpressive. Played pretty well against France but lost. Every time they play someone decent they lose. This was a very average French side missing some key players. They were there for the taking. Like Italy at the Euros and Croatia in the last World Cup. England has an array of talent in forward areas but once again created so little it is untrue. That is three unbelievable chances to win major trophies that England have blown. With the same man at the helm each time.
Everyone raves about what a nice guy he is. I don’t doubt it. How he has brought unity to the squad. It feels like he is literally a babysitter. Massaging pampered egos. That’s not nearly enough. We are talking elite sport here and he is so out of his depth as a manager it is untrue. He has never had success as a manager before this job. He ended up getting Boro relegated. Was a flop for the England U21s. He got the main job as a caretaker after Allardyce was sacked. It was then made permanent. He has literally achieved nothing as a manager. He got the role because he was English and a nice guy. A yes man.
He would not get a job with a Premier League team now. It is so telling it is untrue. He is tactically inept. He has his favourites and cannot look beyond that. He is so reactive as a manager. Rather than proactive.
I was sent something yesterday by a friend and it really makes you wonder. If you look at something like ELO rankings and compare Southgate to previous managers. He was broadly the same as Hodgson over the span of three tournaments. So much emphasis is put on those big tournaments. They are often decided by fine margins/draws etc. Southgate had a home tournament, which in itself is a huge advantage. Capello had the highest actual ranking. The way people go on about Southgate and his record you would think he has won all sorts. How it is even a discussion as to whether he stays or not is beyond me.
The key though is he has an awful lot of powerful allies in the media. Giving them access over the years has forged strong relationships. They determine the narrative. That he has done a really good job.
Let’s look quickly at one player. Trent Alexander Arnold. Southgate has deemed him as not the player he wants in his side. He didn’t even make the squad for the Euros. It says everything to me about Southgate. You have a generational talent in the right back position. Literally the best player in his position in the world. He has had a few average months by his lofty standards but Southgate’s judgement of him was long before this current season. There isnt a club or International team that wouldn’t snap your hands off for him. Except England. Klopp was able to massively overachieve with Liverpool with players like TAA being a key component. In a back 4. Literally a world class player not playing for England because Southgate cannot figure out a way to get the best out of him. It says it all.
As for who replaces him its tough to know without knowing the availability of various managers. All I know is that from a footballing perspective the next manager will be an enormous improvement on the dull, defensive, turgid garbage we have had to endure in recent times.
ProPunting 